Under the Mask
by Crazee Canadia
Summary: The annual Cardverse Mystery Ball is upon the Mushroom Kingdom! Boy, did Luigi want that Ace of Spades role... but he definitely didn't want to go as the Mystery, or dressed as he was... sometimes, Daisy was such a jerk. oOo WaluigiXLuigi, don't like, don't read. Rated T for language, boy love, and Weegee in a dress. Wait, did I say dress? Yes I did. oOo
1. Chapter 1

**** Ah, this took three days to write. I'm not joking. I just now finished it. **  
**Well, this was an idea that had been brewing in my head all day Sunday, I started typing it Sunday night, through Monday night, and then until noon today (The joys of no school :D). I was inspired by MapleRevival's _The Eyes Behind the Mask_ (Epic FrUk story, go read it!). I also play off of the "Luigi cross dressing" idea, maybe because I like the idea of Weegee in a dress XD (Who doesn't? Along with Linky-poo and - okay I'll just stop there).  
I've broken this down into three chapters, however for the DeviantArt upload it's gonna be one huge file. I hope you enjoy.  
****

"Next year, I'm gonna be the Ace of Spades."

It was a role that Luigi had been hoping to get for the past four years, a role that was of high importance at the annual Mushroom Kingdom Mystery Cardverse Ball. Not only was did the role sound cool; it automatically made a celebrity out of whoever was lucky enough to get the role.

The Mystery Ball was just that - a mystery ball with the general playing cards theme mixed in. Princess Peach and Princess Daisy were the ones who came up with the idea when the blonde had supposedly come across a gorgeous Queen of Hearts costume in the castle attic. With no event to wear it to, she and Daisy both came up with the idea for the ball and made a strict set of rules that stuck with the event for the past five years.

Those who attended the ball had to wear a mask that covered their face and skewed their identity, making them hard to figure out until all masks were to come off at midnight. They also had to wear elaborate costumes, designed to match the theme of the role that they were given. Guests to the ball were mailed a confidential letter stating what "card" they were to be at the ball - Queen of Diamonds, King of Hearts, Jokers, Aces, every single card had someone to play its role. Guests were not allowed to share what their role was with anybody else - ever, even if they didn't like it. The roles that everyone kept and eye out for, though, was the Ace of Spades and the Mystery, for the two roles held much importance to the ball.

The role of the Mystey was usually given to a woman (though once it was given to a man), and the part required that the guest must remain silent for the entire night. If the Mystery saw anyone they wanted to dance with, they had to approach and bow or curtsy before their chosen partner as a way of saying, "Hey, dance with me," for no one was to ask the Mystery to dance with them. The Mystery was also a sign for a prize - be it a piece of the latest technology or cash, the prize was always something good (the Mystery was also given the same prize if they carried out their role correctly).

The Ace of Spades was also a role much sought after, for the Ace of Spades had the same rules as the Mystery, and was the only one that could approach and ask the Mystery to dance with them. Though, it was rare to see the Mystery and the Ace of Spades dance since both got the same prizes and the people chosen to play the roles tended to avoid each other, thinking at it was someone they despised.

Both roles also got a little extra treat. Ten minutes before midnight, the entire floor was cleared for the Ace of Spades and the Mystery to dance with whoever their chosen partners were - and whoever was lucky enough to be the partner for the last ten minutes got to decide who was going to play what role for next year's ball. And people only wanted that opportunity to make certain people they didn't like play roles that were the absolute worst to be (and there was no need to worry about the lucky two to pick themselves as the Mystery or Ace of Spades, for their roles were pre-selected for them by Peach before they even came in to assign roles).

Yes, it seemed like something that wasn't worth wasting time to go to, but the excitement of trying to figure out who was who and the opportunity to win a prize kept the citizens coming back year after year.

People flocked to their mailboxes and post offices the day that guest letters were mailed out, leading to countless bouts of fights and arguments for the majority who had to go to the center of town to get their mail. Luigi could've sworn he heard screaming from his house – well on the outskirts of the town that surrounded Peach's castle.

He stood on his porch, tightly gripping a cup of coffee. He shaded his eyes from the sun when it decided to finally peak out from behind the evergreens that surrounded his house, watching as Parakarry came from the direction of Toad Town looking ragged.

"Morning… Luigi…" The Paratroopa managed before crashing onto the wooden porch.

"A-are you okay, Parakarry?" Luigi asked, resisting the urge to snatch the envelope that he held in his hand.

Parakarry laughed nervously as he used the railing to help him stand, "Whew, boy, you better be glad that you live all the way out here. I was being yanked left and right trying to leave the post office, 'Where's my letter?! Hey! You! Gimme my letter! Cough it up! Move it!'" he groaned in frustration as he waved his arms around, "I'm amazed I actually managed to get away! But now I'm behind on my mailing schedule!"

"I'm sure you'll be fine, unless there are others who are impatiently sitting at their houses waiting on you." Luigi took a sip of his coffee, "So, I hate to seem obnoxious, but is that mine?"

"Oh, yes, this is," Parakarry held the letter out, "I'm sorry for making you wait."

"It's fine," Luigi gingerly took the letter, decided to just slide it into the pocket of his overalls instead of ripping it open right away, "I'm sure if I open it up now, I'll be more disappointed with what I got."

"Plus, I might see what you got!" Parakarry winked, "Supposed to keep it a secret!"

Luigi nodded, "Right, right… so, you want some coffee to take with you?" Luigi offered, "It might help you to deal with rude people all day…"

"No thanks, I had three pots before I left!" Parakarry flapped his wings, "Ah, another letter duly delivered. A postman's job is never done! Have a nice day, Luigi; hope you got a good role for the ball!"

"Thanks, you to! A-and tell my brother I said hey!" Luigi waved after the Paratroopa, waiting until he was almost over the line of trees before running inside, careful not to slosh his coffee over the kitchen floor. The Italian ran to his living room, slamming his mug on the coffee table and staring at the letter with wide eyes.

"Please be the Ace of Spades, _please_ be the Ace of Spades," Luigi wished under his breath as he felt around the table for a letter opener, "I'll do anything, _anything_, just _please_ be the Ace of Spades!" he ran the opener along the side of the letter, "Please, I want the Ace of Spades!" he pulled the paper from the envelope and opened it up, "I'm! The Eight of Clubs."

Luigi's smile melted from his face as he reread the letter, and then reread it again in disappointment. With a sigh, he set the paper on the table and looked around the room, "Eight of Clubs. Great. Great!" he clapped his hands against his thighs before he stood up, "Luigi's the awesome _Eight of Clubs_! Huge improvement from the King of Diamonds!" He marched upstairs, muttering and whining about how he had gotten a role that was always better than the last for the past four years and was now he was knocked down. "Twenty bucks says that _Mario_ got it, yeah, twenty bucks!"

He entered his room, eyeballing the elegant green outfit that he had spent the past seven months sewing together standing proudly on his mannequin, the black and white spade decals that he was planning to add after he got the letter lying on the desk beside it. With a sigh, Luigi snatched up the decals and dropped them into his scrap fabric box, "Maybe next year, I'll finally use these." He tried to reassure himself, though his tone came out negatively.

* * *

Luigi rubbed the Club decals he had just sewn onto the coat of his outfit, brushing off any lint that may have still been hanging onto the black fabric. "Finally, I'm finished," he smiled as he put the coat back onto the mannequin, stepping back to admire his work, "I really wish those where spades, though…"

His eyes narrowed, stepping forward and grabbing a lint roller from the desk. "Stupid fabric…" he growled, running the roller over the eight decal on the chest of the coat.

"_Luigi Vargassi Mario, come down here this instant!_"

Said Italian stood straight up, dropping the lint roller and scrambling towards the door, "C-coming, Daisy! I – I was just fixing my costume!"

"Oh, you were?" The red headed princess called back, "Well, hurry up! I gotta complain about something!"

Luigi rolled his eyes as he emerged from the stairs, hoping that Daisy saw it from her position on his couch, "If you're here to complain about your role, you better not let it slip like you did last year. And what have I told you about barging into my house without knocking?"

Daisy smirked, "What? Scared I'll barge in on you and one of your _boyfriends_?"

Luigi's eyes narrowed, "Princess, you know I'm not playing on the dating field anymore, especially after I've come out of the closet."

"Pfft, as I said, you could find _so _many better dates in Sarasaland –"

"Just tell me what you're here for."

"Oh, yeah! _My role, this year, is a role that I have not wanted to be ever since this ball started happening!_" Daisy shouted, "I'm serious, people will be _all_ over me, people will be riding up my side, people will be _obnoxious_!"

"I'm, sorry?" Luigi sat down on a chair opposite the couch, "Why do you feel that they will?"

Daisy crossed her arms, "I know you'll keep it a secret if I tell you."

Luigi shook his head, "Princess, I don't want to know, that takes a lot of the fun out of the ball."

"Well, I don't care, I don't want to be this role," Daisy glared at the floor, "I'm the Mystery."

Luigi leaned back slightly, "T-the Mystery? Why ever did they make you the Mystery? You're royalty!"

"Exactly. But that's not really the reason I don't wanna be the Mystery. I had a costume ready for a different role, which I was _promised_ by Toadette!" Daisy huffed.

"I'm surprised she was lucky enough to dance with the Ace…" Luigi flopped over onto his side, "…well, I can tell you that I'm not who I wanted to be."

Daisy grunted, "No Ace of Spades for Weegee?"

"No."

"Sorry." Daisy's eyes lit up, "What _did_ you get?"

Luigi sat up again, "Daisy, the rule is not to share, I'm not –"

"Tell!" Daisy slammed a fist against the coffee table.

The Italian yelped and jumped back, "I'mtheEightofClubs." He squeaked.

Daisy leaned back, smug look upon her face as she answered, "Thank you. I think what I have in mind just might work out, then."

"W-what?" Luigi asked, eyes widening as he realized what Daisy was talking about, "No. No, we are _not_ trading. No matter how disappointed I am with my role, I'm _not_ trading."

Daisy chuckled, pulling her letter out from under her glove (which was folded into a messy rectangle, probably from where she was upset with her role), "Well, Weegee, with a little white out and computer work, we can easily switch roles~!"

"But I've already completed my costume!" Luigi whined, "I've been working on it for months! I don't wanna let my work go to waste or undo what I've already done!"

"Chill, Luigi. You can recycle it for next year! _If_, I win this bet." Daisy tossed the paper onto the table.

"No way, Daisy. You can man up and deal with being the Mystery." Luigi crossed his arms, "I am _not_ trading no matter what you try."

"You will at least participate in my bet," Daisy waggled her eyebrows, "That you can't work up the courage to ask that _cutie_ at the coffee shop out~!"

"W-what!? No, Daisy, I already told you that I'm not in the dating field!" Luigi snapped, "And I'm _not_ gonna default to taking your role either!"

Daisy chuckled, "Well, Luigi, if you decline to even _bother_, there can be two Eight of Clubs at the ball then."

"No! Daisy, you're not gonna change roles!"

"Oh, c'mon, Weegee, be a rule breaker every now and then. I mean, I know I came up with the rules and that doesn't give _me_ the right to break them, but c'mon!"

"I'm not doing it!" Luigi crossed his arms and turned away, "I'm not switching roles, nor am I taking on your bet."

* * *

"Y-you call _that_ cute?!"

"Yes, I do."

"Daisy, that's _not_ cute, that's Waluigi!"

"C'mon, you gotta admit, he's cute in a way." Daisy smiled, standing in front of the coffee shop door with her arms crossed, "All you gotta do is walk up and say, 'Hey, Waluigi, will you do out with me?' I don't think it's that hard."

Luigi sighed, "It is when the man's childish and is willing to ruin your day at any second. C'mon, I said I was gonna get you a base dress to help you make your costume –"

"Nyet, I want some coffee~!" Daisy grabbed Luigi's arm and pulled him into the coffee shop, the Italian yelping and stuttering in shock as he stumbled along after her – at least there were barely any people in here at the moment.

"D-Daisy, we don't have time for this! The ball's in a week!" Luigi argued, "Besides, I've had too much coffee today –"

"The least you could do is be quieter when you come in here." Waluigi grunted when the two approached the counter, curling his lip up at the princess when she responded with a sincere smile.

"Well, I like to let people know I'm around!" Daisy propped her arm on the counter, mocking Waluigi's pose while squinting her eyes at him, "From the look on your face, you either don't seem too happy to be here or you got a crappy role at the ball."

Waluigi raised his eyebrows slightly, "I'll have you know, I have a great role this year. So great, that you and Eyeballs would be jealous~!" he bragged, finishing off with his iconic "Weheheh."

"Oh, sure, I'd be jealous of a _Joker_." Luigi rolled his eyes, "That's probably what you got again this year, gonna pull out that clown costume and recolor it?"

"What makes you think I'm a Joker?" Waluigi snapped, "I bet you got something lame, like the Eight of Clubs."

Luigi took a deep breath while making fists by his sides, _Count to three, Weegee, one, two, three punches in that man's nuts and I'll kick his nose off his face!_

"He did _not_ get something as lame as that, Waluigi," Daisy shoved a finger into the slimmer's forehead, "As a matter of fact, he just might have one of the _coolest_ roles!"

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England!" Waluigi sang sarcastically, rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out at Daisy.

"More like the drag queen." Luigi snorted, sending him and Daisy into a fit of giggles.

Waluigi appeared to blush slightly, "I'll have you know, that was only once and it was because of the vodka. _You_ on the other hand, have cross dressed _twice_ while sober. You have _no_ room to talk."

Luigi kept the heat in his face down by retorting, "I may not, but at least I don't ear bright blue eyeliner every day of my life."

Daisy had to hold herself up against the counter to keep from laughing herself into the floor, "I'm – I'm sorry, Wally, but that was kinda – kinda good!"

Waluigi's sneered, "It's insomnia lines, _idiota_. You're just saying that because you _wish_ you could wear makeup."

"I wouldn't be caught _dead_ with that on." Luigi muttered.

"Unless you wanted to look pretty for me, you would," Waluigi deadpanned, "Oh, and by the way, stop swaying your hips like you do when you walk, I know you're gay but that doesn't mean to have to be _faaaaabulaaahs_." Waluigi flicked his hand out, rolling his eyes upward and emphasizing the last word he said in a dramatized female accent.

"Why are you watching?" Luigi asked, "If you don't like it, don't look."

"It's hard not too when it's _too_ good."

"Oh, so you like watching me walk?"

"N-now where'd you get that idea?"

"Your last answer made me think you're comparing my walk to how a woman walks."

"Women don't walk like you think they do." Daisy added in, staring off to the side irritably.

"Pretty sure the way Luigi walks is close enough to be classified as a womanly walk." Waluigi tapped his fingers against the counter, "And I think he's just doing it out of frustration – there are not many good looking men in this town aside from, well, me of course."

"What makes you think that I _would_ be walking for you?" Luigi crossed his arms and glared at the taller as the blush he tried to keep down appeared quickly upon his face, "If I do walk like you say I do."

Waluigi chuckled, "Because I know you can't resist me, Eyeballs."

Luigi grit his teeth, fingers digging into his arms as he started to shake in anger, "I can to resist you! You're like rotten mushroom soup that's been sitting on the windowsill for three days! Revolting!"

"Revoltingly sexy, that is."

"If you're considered sexy, then I'm considered short."

"You kinda are, Eyeballs. That's fine though, angry short people can be cute at times."

"What, are you saying that I'm cute when I'm angry?"

"And if I am?"

"Oh, then I'm about to get_ really_ adorable!"

"You're just flustered because I said you were cute. W-which is a lie."

"Why would I blush hearing compliments from you?"

"Because you like me."

"I hate you!"

"Feeling is mutual, Eyeballs."

"From your past few statements, I think that's a lie!"

"Oh, what, trying to make me look like the love-stricken fool here? You just wish it was a lie."

"No, I'd be sad if it was a lie!"

"A second ago you didn't sound like you'd be sad."

"S-s-screw you!"

"You know you want to."

"I'd rather die!"

"I'll be sure to give a heart-warming speech about how you kept on denying your feelings for me whenever I'm at your funeral, right before I dance on your grave."

"I'll come back and haunt you."

"Why? You're so scared of ghosts you'd be afraid of yourself!"

"I'm pretty sure if I can stand your face, I can stand being a ghost!"

"You'd only be running away from my face because you want to make sure you have plenty of rubbers in my size at your place."

"_That_ there sounded like a cheesy way of hitting on me!"

"You just took it that way. You'd also take it on your couch if you were desperate enough."

Daisy suddenly started clapping her hands excitedly, "Ooh~ this sexual tension is _so_ tense!"

Luigi groaned and stomped his foot, turning away to try to keep his burning face hidden from Waluigi. "There is no tension, princess." He deadpanned.

"Agreed, I was just doing that to pick on him." Waluigi smirked, staring at Luigi's back with half lidded eyes, "It looks as if I've succeeded."

Daisy squealed before taking a few deep breaths, "Okay, okay, whatever~! Wally, is it possible that I could get two iced coffees?"

"Do Luigi want one with whipped cream on it in the shape of my pe-"

"Just put a small dollop of whipped cream on both, please." Daisy made a cutting motion over her throat, gritting her teeth that Waluigi.

Waluigi sighed, "Alright then. I think I should charge you both extra just because you've wasted my time."

Luigi turned around to retort, "I think I should get a free coffee for terrible experiences with you."

"I think you want more than a free coffee~!" Waluigi sang before walking away from the register, leaving Luigi to growl and shake with even more anger while Daisy started fanning herself, muttering something about tension being so thick.

The next hour was spent sitting in the coffee shop, the princess and the plumber talking about how they were going to put together Daisy's costume in a week – as the princess was too lazy to even bother with a costume until now. Every time Waluigi came into the red head's view, she kicked Luigi's leg and nodded her head in the purple clad's direction. Luigi ignored, hoping that he could seem more distracted by discussing how to properly use hem glue.

When the hour ended, and the two's coffee cups were empty, Daisy led Luigi out with a smile on her face, "Well, you didn't ask Waluigi out. You know what that means, right?"

Luigi began to walk away, "You're not making me do this."

Daisy chuckled darkly as she rubbed her hands together, "Oh, yes I am."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hnng – _gah!_" Luigi gasped for air, clawing at the corset that restricted his breathing, "D-Daisy, i-is this – really necessary?"

"Yup! I have to wear one of these at least once a week;" the princess leaned forward, letting the corset loosen, "is this better?"

"No! W-why – why can't I – I just go – with – without one?!" Luigi wriggled around, "I – I didn't lose – that – that badly, did I?"

"You're wearing one because without it your figure will look weird," Daisy loosened the corset more, "I know because when a man tries to wear a dress that's sewn for the shape of a woman, it ends in a disaster. Is _this_ better?"

"No, I can feel my stomach wrapping around my spine!" Luigi spat.

Finally, when the corset wasn't trying to kill Luigi, Daisy threw a dress at the man with a smile, "You'll look so pretty in this now~!"

Luigi huffed, "After this, I'm gonna jump off a bridge."

"Oh, c'mon, it's not like you haven't worn women's dresses before!"

"The first time was to save Peach, the second time was to save some other girl from a monster," Luigi spat, "I enjoyed neither!"

Daisy sighed, "C'mon Luigi, you lost the bet."

"It wasn't even fair, anyway!"

"All you had to do was walk up to Waluigi and ask him out."

"He's too much of a jerk. And I've told you, _I'm not in the dating field._"

Daisy grinned, "At least I'm being a friend and trying, right?"

"Yeah, being a real idiot of a friend." Luigi began looking at the dress, twisting it around, "How do you put this on?"

"From the bottom." Daisy pointed, "No, other way, yeah, that."

Luigi shot her a look before proceeding to slide the dress on, after a few minutes of trying to find the cutout for the neck, his head popped up and his arms made their way through the sleeves, "This is ridiculous."

"As is your attitude right now," Daisy presented a wig to him, "Now, put this on! I'm sure you won't need a wig cap, the wefts in this wig are _really_ thick and it's hard to see through." She ran her fingers through the long, brunette locks, "You'll look even prettier with this on!"

Luigi gingerly took the wig, placing it on his head and adjusting it until he felt it looked natural. When he looked up at Daisy to confirm, the red head shook her head in disgust, stepped forward and fixed the wig until she felt it looked natural before stepping back, "Better."

"Okay, so I'm wearing a dress, a wig, now I need a mask." Luigi held his hand out, "It better cover my mustache."

"I'm sure it will!" Daisy held a mask out to Luigi, "It even matches your dress!"

The Italian looked at the mask, green lined with glittery black with womanly slits cut out for eyes. He inwardly gagged before taking the mask and tying the strings around his head under the wig. When it was snug against his face, he looked up at Daisy again and held out his arms, "Well? How do I look?"

Daisy flinched, "For a moment I thought you were a legit woman with a man's voice! Look at yourself!" she pointed at the mirror.

Luigi turned to look at his reflection, lamely staring at the long, flowing green dress that was on his body, black lines and swirls running down the skirt part and ending at a thick lining of black lace and barely showed the black heels he borrowed from Daisy. The torso of the dress had small black lines running up the sides, ending at the puffy shoulders sewn onto the dress. The sleeves were long and plain, tightly fitting against the arms until ending with at the wrists with long, flowing fabric that draped over Luigi's hands, also lined with black lace sewn to the underside. Of course, the long, curly brunette wig and the mask topped it all of, the mask just covering Luigi's mustache. For a moment, the man himself was convinced he was staring at a woman.

"You make me jealous, Weegee." Daisy pouted as she slid on her own mask, orange and lined with small feathers, white clubs painted next to the eye holes on the mask.

"Well, at least we got your costume done last second," Luigi eyed the princess up and down, the rushed work of sprucing up a plain orange dress not appearing so rushed now that Daisy was actually wearing it, "I think you look pretty, Daisy."

"You more than me," Daisy snorted, adjusting her curled hair and tugging on her elbow length gloves, "Well, that ball's not gonna come to us. We better get going."

"Right." Luigi sighed, "Please tell me you didn't have a carriage come all the way up to my house."

"Well, I don't wanna go in a car." Daisy retorted, "That would ruin the 'ball' feeling, y'know?"

"No, I usually went on foot," Luigi wobbled in the heels as we went down the stairs, "But I guess that's out of the question, seeing as how I can't remember how to walk in heels…"

Daisy tried to suppress a snort as she followed, "I have to wear them everyday, Luigi. So, consider yourself lucky."

"Haha, I'd consider myself lucky if I wasn't even _wearing _this!" Luigi looked back at her, eyes boring back into her mask as his lip curled up in disgust.

Daisy cocked her head at him, "You know, if your lips didn't look so feminine, I would've made you wear lipstick."

Luigi's eyes widened before he turned back around to focus on walking towards the carriage, hoping that Daisy's carriage driver and the horses that were pawing at the dirt didn't hear the last tidbit of their conversation.

* * *

This ball, so far, was the worst Luigi had ever attended.

As soon as he and Daisy set foot into the room, people automatically began to stare and hover around Luigi, a wordless way of saying "I want the money and prizes, pick me!"

Worse, whenever he and Daisy were crossing the room to the fancy refreshments table, Daisy was led away to go dance by a suspiciously dressed man – Luigi swore that platinum blonde hair, light blue clothes, and sweet smile was familiar. But then again, Rosalina wouldn't have shown up at this ball wearing men's clothes or as the Jack of Hearts, right? It had to have been a man who looked a lot like her.

Still, Luigi didn't like it, as he felt everyone's eyes on him as he stood at the refreshment table by himself, deciding whether or not to take on wine or water. That feeling of everyone _staring_ made it so hard!

But, at least no one knew it was Luigi, right? Aside from Daisy…

Luigi finally decided on water, taking the glass and turning around to glare at anyone who happened to be nearby before shuffling off to a corner to stand. Maybe if he came off as bitchy and pouty, everyone would turn their attentions to the Ace of Spades. _Yeah, let whoever that is deal with them_. Luigi thought bitterly as he took a sip of his water, leaning against the wall.

He decided to look around and try to identify who was who. Every year, he noticed that everyone had a certain theme with their costume no matter what role they took on.

_Okay, that man over there, he's the Ace of Diamonds – oh, that's Mario, obviously. Idiota, red and white are your colors, everyone knows that. Oh, there's the Queen of Hearts – Peach, stop trying to keep that pink wig on your head, I know it's you. It's been you the past four years. Those blue gems you have on your dress give you away. Toad, don't think that your mask is fooling anyone; you fail at being a Six of Spades. Oh, wow, Toadette, I almost didn't recognize you, you make a great Jack of Diamonds, really. I don't see any Ace of Spades… good. I'd probably go and slap him. Oh, there's Daisy._

Daisy looked over the shoulder of the man she was dancing with, "Don't stand there, stupid!" she mouthed before she disappeared into the dancing crowd again.

Luigi shrugged, _Whatever._

The night continued on, Luigi abandoning his glass on a table before shuffling to the other side of the room to stand in a different corner, hoping he could identify more people from a different angle. He glanced around before looking at the stairs that led to the castle's bedrooms, seeing a figure walking down out of the corner of his eye.

It was the Ace of Spades.

Luigi felt his breath hitch as he watched the tall man slowly descend the stairs, gloved hand sliding down the banister beside him as he walked. His tail coat lined with white fur shimmered a dark amethyst in the light, a one decal sewed onto the left side of the chest almost covered by the white jabot that he wore. His violet mask covered a good portion of his face, only revealing the left side of his lower face, his slim cheek and chin the only facial features showing. The legs of his black pants ran into his short, pointed boots, which made faint clacking sounds against the stairs as he walked. The man turned his torso to the left, revealing the back of his tailcoat to have a spade decal sewn onto it.

Luigi's swallowed, _M-my costume was much better then that! Kind of… oh, who is that man?_ _I – I feel stupid for not recognizing…_

Then, Luigi noticed, the Ace of Spades was staring back at him. Feeling his cheeks heat up, the cross dresser looked away towards the crowd, where he started to try to figure out who the Three of Clubs was.

"Ooh, there's the Ace of Spades!"

"Stop messing with your hair, you look pretty!"

"W-what, you don't wanna dance with me anymore?"

"Hell-o? Ace of Spades?"

"He's charming!"

"That mask is gaudy."

"Interesting color scheme."

"F-fine, I'll – I'll go try to dance with the Mystery!"

"Good luck trying, she looks _irritated_."

Luigi swallowed as he came to a conclusion, _Okay, Three of Clubs is the pizzeria guy, end of story_.

"He's looking at the Mystery!"

Sure enough, when Luigi glanced back in the direction of the Ace, the man was now descending the stairs at a quicker pace and had his eyes set on Luigi. _Still_.

_H-he's – no, he's not_. Luigi told himself, yet he continued to stare back, _He's staring 'cause you're staring, Weegee. Look away._

But he couldn't look away. He continued to watch in hopes that the Ace _was_ coming towards him, maybe to pat him on the back and or something before he moved on to find a dance partner.

Guests stepped out of the way to let the Ace of Spades through, said man seemed to smile as he approached Luigi's corner.

_He looks smug. I don't like that._ Luigi pushed himself into the corner, never easing his hateful glare.

Then, the Ace of Spades stood proudly before him, gazing down with what felt like a hungry gaze before he bowed down and offered his hand, nodding his head towards the ballroom dance floor.

Luigi held his arm up in defense, _What? You're asking me to dance? Isn't it obvious I'm the Mystery?_

"That woman's too snobby to accept," Luigi overheard a jealous woman mutter; "I think he'd better move on to _me_. I saw him eye me on his way down."

Luigi hid a fist behind his back, _I'll show you, you snot_. He slightly nodded; taking the hand offered to him and followed the Ace of Spades to the floor, guests once again parting as they watched in jealousy and awe.

Then, the thought hit Luigi just as he and the Ace of Spades got into position to dance – _Crap, I don't know how to dance like a woman. W-well, it's just like a man, right, except your hands are positioned differently and you don't try to swing the other around… oh, this is gonna be a nightmare!_

The orchestra started playing a new song – a slow, calming waltz. _Okay, this might not be so bad… it's just a waltz_.

The rest of the guests partnered up and started to dance as well, making sure that the Ace of Spades and the Mystery had plenty of room to dance as they circled the ballroom slowly. Luigi was troubled with which direction to look. Should he look at the man? At the other guests? At the floor? At this man's chest? At the ceiling? (_Ooh, pretty lights~ so pretty – okay, stoppit you moron, you're not a cat._)

Luigi finally decided to just stare back up at the face of the man, intending to focus on his mask rather than his eyes. He looked at said place, trying to stare at the center of the purple and white mask but instead finding himself staring at the man's eyes. _Those look like… contacts. No one's eyes are that shade of blue, plus they look kind of fake. Ah, I guess some people will go as far as they can to make sure no one recognizes them, but contacts? Really? W-why is he smirking at me? Oh no, I've been staring at his eyes for too long, mask mask mask mask! _He found himself batting his eyes, more thoughts running through his head. _Is he staring back at my eyes? Oh, how romantic, Luigi, you're staring into each other's eyes and slowly waltzing around a ballroom, oh yes, so romantic. Heck, you two are gonna get married and have babies and crap – I don't like this! I don't care how pretty you are, sir, I'm a man as well. I – I just pass as a very good woman. _

Suddenly, the two came to a stop, the Ace having to hold onto Luigi to make him stand still. _What!? Oh, hey, the music stopped._ He looked down in embarrassment, letting go of the man and turning to walk back to his corner, _Well, the dance is done, I suppose he wants to dance with some one – ey!_

The Ace of Spades grabbed Luigi's arm and pulled him back, tightly holding his hand as he motioned to the doors at the other side of the ballroom that led out to Peach's garden.

Luigi glanced at the doors before looking back at the man, shaking his head and lamely trying to pull his hand back. The man seemed to roll his eyes, tightening his grip on Luigi's hand and leading him through the crowd towards the doors. _No, I said! I don't want to go outside! Yes, it may be hot in here, but that doesn't mean I want to go outside with you!_

Pushing the doors open, the Ace of Spades looked back over his shoulder at Luigi with his mask revealing his smile. He pulled the Italian along, waiting until the sounds from the ballroom were faint before he broke out into a run, which caused Luigi to start running along behind him just to keep his glove from being yanked off. He bunched up his dress in his free hand, occasionally stumbling and almost yelping in shock.

_You idiot! Slow down! I'm in heels and a dress!_

Finally, just when Luigi felt that he was about to faint, the man came to a halt before the large fountain that was the centerpiece for Peach's garden. Looking up at the full moon behind the large statue of serene angels and singing cherubs, Luigi suddenly felt intimidated, almost as if the stone was about to come to life and sing some cheesy love song.

The Ace of Spades tapped Luigi's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts to shoot the other a glare. The man had taken a seat on the edge of the fountain, offering the spot next to him for the other to sit.

Luigi turned up his nose and walked to the edge of the concrete slab they were on, approaching the edge of the small moat that surrounded them and looked into the water. He was surprised at how well the full moon could light the area, and how well his disguise still worked. Luigi fixed a few strands of his wig, not realizing the Ace of Spades was standing next to him until he felt a hand grab his arm.

The shorter jumped back, holding a hand up to slap the man should he resume trying to touch him. The Ace of Spades chuckled quietly, stepping forward and nudging Luigi's hand down, grabbing his chin to force eye contact.

_Oh, what in the stars is he doing?_ Luigi's breathing started to get heavy; _I think he's trying to kiss me. Don't, idiot, I've only known you for ten minutes!_

The Ace of Spade's face suddenly neared, his head tilting slightly to the left.

_Well, crap, he's gonna kiss me_. Luigi began mimicking the other man's movement; _I guess it can't be too bad… it's not like he'll ever know._

"There they are!"

The two jumped and turned to face the Queen of Hearts and the Six of Spades (ahem, Peach and Toad), jogging into the area seeming to sigh in relief.

"We've been looking for you two for the past ten minutes! Took off right when you two had your time to dance! C'mon, it's time to unveil our masks!" Peach ushered Luigi and the other man back towards the ballroom, "Had us all in a mad frenzy." She muttered under her breath.

_Wait. Unveil our masks? Oh no. No. Nonononononono. _Luigi reached up and lightly traced the side of his mask; _I'll be recognized as myself, then I'll probably get Daisy in trouble, all the while becoming the laughing stock of the kingdom! I can't have that!_

The crowd roared with applause and cheers as soon as the Mystery and the Ace of Spades set foot in the ballroom, many people eager to rip off their masks and see who everyone else was – and most importantly, who the Mystery and the Ace were.

Toad continued to push the two most important guests to the center of the ballroom while Peach ran up onto the stage where the ensemble of musicians was. She coughed into a microphone to bring silence to the ballroom before she spoke, "Well, this year we don't have time to watch the Ace of Spades and the Mystery dance, not that it should matter anyway since they seem to have chosen each other." She smiled, "But look at them, isn't that an adorable couple?"

Luigi looked down at the floor in embarrassment, trying to tune out the crowd clapping and hooting in approval. The Ace of Spades wrapped a protective arm around Luigi's shoulders, pulling him closer to his torso.

"And just look at the Mystery, what woman in the kingdom made such an elegant dress for this year's ball?" Peach continued, "Plus, who is this charming Ace of Spades we have here tonight? And who's that proud and loud Eight of Clubs? Who's the charming King of Diamonds? Who's the Jack of Hearts? Who is everyone? It's time…" Peach paused to look at the clock on the wall, the rest of the room doing the same while grabbing the edge of their masks.

Luigi took this time to glance up at the Ace of Spades, his hands never nearing his mask at all. The man looked back down, smirking from underneath the elaborate piece of plaster-plastic-whatever-he-used-to-hide-his-face.

_Oh no_. Luigi looked away to try to find a quick escape, seeing that the path to the main entrance to the ballroom was relatively clear. _That way, I'll run that way_.

"…_to reveal who you are!_" The princess cried as she tore off her mask, the rest of the ballroom cheering and throwing their masks up in the air like they had done so for the past four years.

Luigi began to run towards the door, but was yanked back by the Ace of Spades. The man forced eye contact with Luigi, squinting his eyes and shaking his head in a way of saying, "What's wrong? Why are you running?"

The Italian shook his head back, shoving the Ace of Spades away before barreling through an intermingling crowd of guests and dashing out the doors.

_Get home, Luigi, get home! _Luigi slid down the banister of the flight of stairs that led to the entry hall; _No time to dilly-dally! Hell, I'll run in socks if I have to! I'll steal a stupid horse! Just get home!_

"Wait!" Luigi looked back up the stairs just as he made it to the bottom. _What!? H-he's after me!_

Collecting his dress up in his hand, Luigi stumbled into a run, _Dammit, Daisy, why the hell did you make me wear a corset?! Hell, why did you make me wear a dress anyway?! You are _not_ my friend anymore!_

His heels clacked against the polished floor, soon followed by the clicks of the Ace of Spades chasing after him, "Wait! Where are you going?!"

The castle doors flung open as Luigi ran through them, inwardly cursing his life and Daisy and how this costume was _too_ good of a disguise. He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, seeing that the Ace of Spades was quickly catching up to him. Luigi tried to pick up his speed, looking back in front of him at the wide open castle gates, mentally planning a quick escape route home.

_At the other side of Toad Town is that pipe that leads to my house. It might be hard to get down there in a dress, but it sure beats hiking there! If all ends badly this dress will just be ripped –_

An arm trapped Luigi, pulling him back into the tall slender body of the man that had been chasing him. He struggled, leaning forward against the man's arm, wriggling and stomping his foot.

The Ace of Spades forced Luigi to look at him once again, the two glaring at each other as they both tried to catch their breath. Luigi grit his teeth, harshly fighting against the other man for another moment before he ended up tiring himself out.

He closed his eyes, trying to count to three and planning how he was going to slide out of the man's arms (though, they were possibly the best thing to be trapped in, but not at the moment).

Then, he felt the edge of his mask being tugged against.

"N-no!" Luigi shoved the Ace of Spades away, once again running towards the other side of Toad Town as fast as he could manage to run.

He left the Ace of Spades reaching out after him with one hand, the other holding the green and black mask.

* * *

Luigi shoved the now decal-less costume into the back of his closet, slamming the door closed. He then snatched up the dress, corset, heels, and whatever else he wore and crammed them all into the white box Daisy used to carry them in.

He then threw the box down the stairs, kicking it until it was outside on his porch, spitting at it before slamming the front door and locking it.

"Stupidest year of my life." He muttered, "Never, _ever_, am I going to trust Daisy again, _never_ will I talk to Waluigi, and _never_ will I let that Ace of Spades know it was me!" The Italian kicked the wall before turning around, prepared to storm upstairs, "Stupid three in the morning… I'm getting my ass to bed."

Just as he reached the top of the stairs, he remembered that he forgot to throw out the mask along with the dress. He brushed over his face to make sure he still wasn't wearing it, then checked his room before he started to retrace his steps – what happened to his mask? (Not that he really cared about it.)

Luigi thought about the last encounter he had with the Ace of Spades, eyes widening before he fell to the bed. His cry of agony echoed throughout his house, covering his face and kicking the air in distress.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He sat up, panting, "He probably saw my face! Dammit! Now I'll never be able to walk around Toad Town again! Never! I'll have to move, change my name –" he gasped, "– or shave! No!" He groaned once more, flopping back down and cursing his life.


	3. Chapter 3

When the sun rose that morning, Luigi stood on his porch, lamely holding onto a cup of coffee. He rubbed his eyes for another countless time, cursing the lack of sleep he got and how he probably had dark rings under his eyes.

The box that contained the dress was now buried in the backyard, under six feet of dirt that Luigi covered up with some flowers from a windowsill garden box. That mask was probably being shared around town, people holding it up to their faces or maybe laughing at the idea of Luigi wearing it with a wig and dress.

The man snarled in distaste, partially at the idea and partially at the cold temperature of his coffee. He held the mug upside down over the edge of his porch before storming inside, slamming the mug on the table and shuffling back upstairs – he needed more sleep.

As soon as he flopped back onto his bed he was out cold.

* * *

He walked through the ballroom doors, proudly striding towards the refreshment table, the tails of his green tailcoat bouncing back against his legs as he walked. He heard some women cooing over how handsome he looked, and how mysterious he was.

Taking a sip of water, he smirked before he sauntered to a corner of the room, taking this time to consider who he was going to dance with.

He saw Daisy, in her elegant Eight of Clubs dress, dancing with the Rosalina-like Jack of Hearts. As much as Luigi wished to wisk her away so he could dance with his friend, he knew she had asked to switch roles for a very important reason.

He saw his brother passing by him, chasing down Princess Peach in her lame Queen of Hearts costume. He tried not to laugh at Toad and Toadette in their costumes, both walking right past each other instead of glomping one another.

Then, the crowd went silent, looking up towards the stairs that led to the upper parts of the castle in awe. Luigi turned his head to look as well, breath slightly hitching as he laid his eyes on the man.

The Ace of Spades. There was no mistaking that fancy tailcoat, that mask, that stance – that was this year's Ace of Spades.

When the man reached the landing of the stairs, he finally looked in Luigi's direction. Said Italian nodded back at him, as if to say, "Welcome to the party, as you can see I'm the Mystery."

He was surprised when the Ace of Spades made a beeline towards him, bowing down and holding his hand out, nodding to the dance floor as if asking to dance.

"What? Why is he asking the Mystery to dance?"

"Well, that Mystery is a very pretty woman."

"Yes, she's charming, she should accept!"

Luigi blinked back in confusion. He was sure that he wasn't a woman, the confirmed that by looking down at his costume – nope, still the fancy one that he spent seven months on.

Still, something in the back of Luigi's mind made him accept the offer; he wasn't going to be so rude as to refuse a charming man's offer to dance. Besides, he didn't want to appear stuck up by refusing.

They had not been dancing for five minutes before the Ace of Spades began to pull Luigi towards the doors that led to Peach's garden, his smile barely seen under the mask that covered a good portion of his face. As soon as they were out of earshot from the ball, they both ran off into the maze of the garden, laughing and faltering all the way.

At the fountain, the two took the chance of being alone to dance around the carving that spewed water, switching between crazy spins and twirls to slow waltzes, staring back into each other's eyes in an attempt to figure out who the other was.

Then Peach and Toad came from the ball to round up the two, saying that it was time to unveil the masks – Luigi went with a smile, he really wanted to know who this man was.

The clock stuck midnight; guests threw their masks in the air. Luigi calmly pulled his off, smiling back up at the Ace of Spades expecting to see his face.

Instead, the Ace of Spades looked back at him in fight, backing away as slowly as he could, pressing his hands against his mask in fear.

Luigi gave him a questioning look, "What's wrong?" he asked.

That was when the Ace of Spades ran out of the ballroom, Luigi following quickly, "Hey! Wait! What's wrong!? Come back!"

He chased the Ace of Spades down to the castle gates, catching up with him just before he escaped into Toad Town. Luigi wrapped his arms around the torso of the taller man, pulling him back and forcing them to look at each other.

The Ace of Spades struggled weakly against Luigi's hold, and when he finally relaxed Luigi reached up to take his mask off for him.

"No!" He cried, turning around and escaping Luigi's grasp, losing his mask as he ran away.

Luigi reached out after him, watching as he faded into the darkness of the town before looking down to admire the mask he still had in his hand. Through the eyeholes, he noticed something weird about the ground below. He moved the mask to look, squawking and tensing up when he realized exactly what it was.

He was wearing the dress, and was walking around without his own mask on.

Meaning that the Ace of Spades knew who he was_._

* * *

"Stupid dreams, I hate them! Hate them!" Luigi sat up after he awoke out of shock, sighing as he looked at the time – one in the afternoon.

Loud banging resonated throughout his house, "_Luigi Vargassi Mario! You answer this door right this moment!_"

Luigi pulled the blankets over his head and shivered under them, "Not answering, not answering…"

"_Luigi! I know you're in there!_" Daisy's voice followed after more banging sounded on the door, "_You better not be asleep!_"

"Yes I am." Luigi muttered.

Daisy banged against the door a few more times, "Fine! I guess you won't get to know who the Ace of Spades was!"

"I don't wanna know."

"_And don't you sit up there saying you don't wanna know!_"

"Too bad."

Afterwards it was silent; Luigi cautiously peeked out from under his blanket before silently trotting downstairs. He approached his front door, looking through the peep hole to see nothing outside on his porch.

"Better go inspect for damage," Luigi muttered before stepping outside, turning around to check the door, the wall, and the doormat.

"Hey, Eyeballs! Put this on!"

"What –" Luigi turned to see who it was that had just called out to him, yelping when someone had slammed a piece of plastic against his face, "Hey! Stop that!"

"Now, now, Eyeballs, quit struggling! I've been going around all day trying to find whose mask this is!"

Mask? _Mask?_ Luigi stiffened in fear, looking up to question his visitor, "Someone dropped their ma-"

Waluigi had never looked so serious before. Said man seemed to blink in thought as he kept the mask pressed against Luigi's face, pulling it away and pushing it back on a few more times. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, before he finally pulled the mask away with a satisfied nod, "Yes, _you_ dropped your mask." Waluigi held said object out to Luigi.

Staring down at the green and black mask, Luigi tried to hide a blush before slapping it away, "I-it's not mine."

"Yes it is." Waluigi shoved it into Luigi's chest, "I recognized you as the Mystery when I put it on your face."

Luigi let the mask drop to the ground, "Y-you – you did not! This is one of your lame pranks!"

"I'll have you know, I can memorize faces very well," Waluigi snatched the mask up and slammed it onto Luigi's face again, holding it there as he continued to speak, "I know those eyes, when I first came walking down those stairs. You were staring at me in admiration, yet you kept on looking away as if you didn't want to look back at me. When we were dancing, you focused on me the entire time, and when we went out to the garden you narrowed your eyes at me just as you are now from under the mask."

Luigi's eyes widened, "Y-you were the Ace of Spades?"

"Duh," Waluigi rolled his eyes, "Why did you think I was bragging about my role when you and Daisy nagged me to death in the coffee shop?"

"I thought you were just trying to impress us!" Luigi spat, "And get this off my face!"

"Weh," Waluigi dropped the mask and used both his hands to hold Luigi's face, "You know, you hurt my feelings when you ran away from me, right?"

"What's it to you?" Luigi growled, "Was I so pretty that you fell in love with me?"

"So you won't deny that you were the Mystery?"

"What's the point, now that you've proven it? I figured I had been recognized when my mask was torn off so I was already planning on moving far away from here."

"Your life follows you, Eyeballs."

"Whatever, answer my question, was I so pretty that you fell in love with me?"

"Do you want me to say yes?"

"I – I don't care what your answer is!"

"You want me to say yes."

"I don't care."

"Do you even want an answer?"

"Yes, I want an answer!"

"In what form?"

"Words!"

"Unspoken or spoken?"

"Spoken, dammit!"

"How's about I answer how I want to?"

"Fine. Just answer!"

"I am, if you'll shut your trap for five seconds." Waluigi sneered, suddenly smashing his lips against Luigi's, causing the shorter man to tense up in shock.

From the other side of the porch, Daisy could be heard squealing and clapping her hands excitedly, "Aww, Weegee _you're so cuuuuuuuute!_"

Waluigi pulled away to look at her, "Hey, would you mind to shut up for –"

Luigi grabbed the other's face and pulled him back, "Ignore her, idiot." He forced the kiss to resume, trying to pretend that the princess wasn't the one making those obnoxious, fangirly sounds.

* * *

"It worked out _perfectly_ Peach!" Daisy drummed her hands on the table, "It all worked out so perfectly I'm still so happy about it!"

"I'd be more worried about how you broke some of the rules," Peach muttered, rolling her eyes and sipping her tea, "What made you decide to try this stunt anyway?"

"Waluigi complaining about how he didn't know whether or not to tell Luigi he loved him," Daisy waved her hand back at the blonde, "So I decided, 'Hey, why not see what role he is for the ball? I could use the ball to help him!' And he got his letter, like, super early in the morning and I nagged him about it until he told me, and then I had the _perfect_ plan right from the get-go!"

"Uh huh." Peach rolled her eyes.

"I did! I made up a bet knowing that Luigi would fail it, so we could switch roles and so he could go as a pretty lady so Waluigi could _know_ what he was missing out on, and them _blam_!"

"What about that guy you danced with the entire time? Was he part of your plan?"

Daisy blinked, "Well, not really, he just sorta came out of nowhere and asked me to dance with him. He wasn't even there at the time to unveil the masks." She grabbed her chin in thought, "And he looked _really_ feminine. Not to mention he barely spoke."

Peach smirked, "Maybe it was a party crasher."

Daisy narrowed her eyes at Peach, "What's that look for? Were you trying to set me up with that guy? I've told you, I ain't dating now!"

"Now you know exactly how Luigi felt."

****Let's play a game of "Spot the hidden pairing!" Who was it? Do you dare play? I might write something for you if you dare play and get it right... anyway.**

**I hope you've enjoyed reading, if you've read this far.  
**

**And remember, call me sick, call me stupid, just don't call me sane, because I'm Crazee Canadia. **  
**


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